


Ships Or Soldiers

by thecattydddy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Family, Pre-Movie(s), Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoilers, Young Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:26:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5681347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecattydddy/pseuds/thecattydddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ben's uncle comes to visit, he overhears something he probably shouldn't have and he doesn't respond very well to it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ships Or Soldiers

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I went and saw Episode VII in theaters (twice) and absolutely fell in love with the potential family dynamic between Han and Leia and Ben?? 
> 
> In case you can't already tell, I have a soft spot for families, especially ones with tons of drama. This is my first Star Wars fic, so a lot of the characters may seem a little off. Sorry about that in advanced. I hope ya'll like it and remember! Feedback is always appreciated!

Ben was definitely a curious kid. If nothing else, he liked to stick his nose in places where it didn't belong. Leia had had trouble with him in the early days, watching him disregard rules and even put himself in harm's way for the sake of curiosity. She knew, possibly the moment he was born, but definitely by the time he could speak, that Ben was gifted with the force. He would eventually want to learn about that too and Leia, fearing the methods he would use to find it, sought her brother's help.

“'Ncle Luke!” Ben paused momentarily in his zooming through the house and making spaceship noises. Han, who'd been using the time trying to keep up with the tyke and keep him amused, appeared in the doorway as well, leaning against the frame.

“Luke? What brings you here?”

“'Nlce Luke! 'Ncle Luke!” Ben attached himself to the other's leg, pulling on his shirt to get Luke's attention. The former Jedi, who had defeated Darth Vader and blown up the Death Star, was older now. His mechanical hand had even had a few upgrades since it'd been given to him, yet another symbol of how much he's changed. He placed a hand on top of Ben's head, ruffling his hair and drawing a squeal of delight from him. A smile formed on his face at the look of pure joy the boy gave him in return.

“Alright, you. Quit bothering your uncle.” Han picked up Ben, settling him on one hip, and Ben made a squawk of protest, wiggling around a little. Han, however, had a strong enough grip to keep him in place and Ben was forced to give in, huffily putting his head on his father's shoulder.

“Han. It's nice to see you, again.” Luke offered his brother-in-law a gentle smile, and Han had no problem returning it. “Leia called for me. She said it was important that we spoke.”

“Luke?” Leia appeared from a separate corridor, pausing at the sight of her brother. A smile broke out on her face and she went to him, enclosing him in a hug. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Leia.” He hugged her back. “Of course. What did you call me here for?” For a brief moment, her eyes fell over Ben and the happy family reunion seemed to sober.

“Come on, Ben. Let's leave Mama and Uncle Luke to talk.” Han shifted his son's weight a little before taking the boy off to his own room. There was no reason for him to be in the conversation for the time being. Him and Leia had already had this talk countless times before. She knew where he stood.

“What're Mama and 'Ncle Luke gonna talk about?” Ben wondered, picking his head up to look at Han. His father bit his lip before looking down at him and shrugging.

“Dunno, Ben. Probably just boring grown up stuff.”

“What kinda grown up stuff?” Han tucked a loose curl back behind his son's ear.

“Like taxes.”

“ _Ew_.” Ben crinkled his nose at the word, making Han chuckled. He came up to Ben's bedroom door and set the boy down, before closing it behind them. He laid down on the floor, resting on his forearm to keep his torso upright. 

“What're we playing with today, Ben?” he wondered, listening as the other rummaged around in his closet, probably making a mess of all his  things . “Ships or soldiers?”

“Ships.” Ben called back. He emerged a moment later with a box filled with tiny models  starships ,  which he proceeded to dump out on the ground in front Han before  he tossed the box aside.  Ben reached first for the x-wing, which he gave to Han. 

The man raised an eyebrow. “Don't you want to be the rebel, Ben?”

“No,” Ben answered, picking up the tie fighter. “You always get to be the bad guy. I wanna be the bad guy this time.” He flew the tie-fighter around, making spaceship noises, swerving all over the place in a way that a real pilot would never do.

Han picked up the x-wing and mimicked his action, only instead of making normal ship noises, he made weird ones that had Ben giggling. “Daddy! That's not what a spaceship sounds like!”

“ What? Really?” Han asked, pretending to be surprised by the fact. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah! They go like this.” Ben reached for the x-wing and Han handed it over, letting his son show him the proper way  a ship is supposed to sound. “ _Whoosh_ .  _Vroom_ .  See? You try it.”

Han picked up a separate ship. “ _Looooo_ … _Nyaaaaah! Chzzz!_ ”

“Daddy! No!” Ben laughed, pushing his ship back down. “ _Woosh_ !” 

“Woosh?” Han repeated.

“Yeah."

“Okay.” Han nodded, turning the ship upside down and flying it around, “ _Woosh!”_

“ _Daddy!_ You can't fly the plane like that! The pilot's gonna fall out!”

About twenty minutes later, Han started to notice Ben nodding off. He was laying down next to Han, curled up against his side and lazily flying the plane around. He picked the kid up, Ben allowing it without much of a fight. Placing him on his bed, Han tucked him in and placed a kiss against his forehead.  Ben still held the x-wing against his person. Quietly, Han pushed all the other ships back into the box and returned them to where they belonged. With one last glance in Ben's direction, he closed the door and wordlessly left the room. 

When Ben woke, it was dark and he was alone. Climbing out of bed, he went in search of his parents. He heard talking and followed the sound, but stopped when he heard his uncle. Luke hadn't left, yet, and  was likely still having that adult conversation with his mother. Ben couldn't help it if he was a little curious, so instead of announcing himself and his hunger, he hovered near the door, careful to keep out of sight as he peered around the corner.

Luke was sitting at the table with Leia, each with a cup in their hands. Han was nearby, leaning against the counter. The other two had their eyes on Luke as he spoke, his tone serious. “Are you certain about this, Leia? Not that I wouldn't love to help however I can, but taking him away might not be the best option. He seems pretty...” Luke's eyes briefly moved over to Han before returning to his sister. “Attached.”

“We were worried at first, too, but it's crucial that he be trained properly as soon as possible. We fear who might get ahold of him if we wait.” There was a brief pause as the three thought of who exactly they had to fear. Even with the Empire defeated, the three of them weren't naive enough to think  that there weren't still factor out there hoping to take its place. 

“Besides,” Han spoke up, breaking the dark silence. “Ben adores you as much as either of us and you're actually a jedi or whatever. If you r around, he won't even need us, so there's no point in keeping him  here .”

Ben was frozen to the spot, his heart suddenly feeling heavy. So,  _that's_ the grown up talk they'd been having without him? Whether or not they were going to send him away? They hadn't even asked his opinion on the matter. Ben didn't want to go. He was happy with his parents and, sure, Luke was cool and all, but he didn't want to  _leave_ with him. All of a sudden, Ben felt funny.  D ropping his x-wing model,  he hurrying back to his room to be alone. 

“I wouldn't say that,” Luke pointed out, “I may be a  Jedi , but you're his father.  Besides-” Luke looked to Leia. “Our father was taken from his mother at such a young age, too. I would hate to see his mistakes repeated in our children.”

Again, an awkward silence. They all pondered Luke's words for a time. What he said was true and both options seemed to hold a foreboding future for their young son. Eventually, Leia grew tired of these dreary predictions and turned the subject to something else. “Luke, I hear that you are starting the final preparations to open your academy.”

Luke's dark expression lightened into something fonder and he nodded. “I am. Soon, I'll be able to beginning training the next generation of Jedi.” They conversed for some time about that and a few other subjects before Luke announced that he really should be leaving. Han offered to lead him to the door and they were on their way out when a distinct _crunch_ sounded beneath his feet.

“What the-” Han looked down, lifting his foot to find the x-wing crushed below it. His eyes widened in alarm and he quickly knelt down to retrieve it. “Oh no.”

“What?” Luke paused in his exit, turning to see what was wrong with his brother-in-law. Han held up the busted ship. “It's Ben's favorite ship. He must have left it here and I accidentally stepped on it. He's going to be heartbroken.”

“I'm sure that Ben will find a new favorite,” Luke assured him. “He will understand that it was an accident.”

“No, it's gotta be this one.” Han set the toy on a nearby shelf, making sure he had all the pieces before brushing his hands off on his pants and standing up, once again. “I'll just fix it, later.”

He completed the task of showing Luke to the door, and returned to the kitchen, only to have Leia send him away, again. “Honey, would you go and wake up Ben? I am about to start dinner and I don't want him to miss it.”

“Sure,” Han consented, turning to head to Ben's room. He knocked gently on the door before letting himself in, “Ben-?”

“Go away.” The child's voice bit back. The room was dark and it took Han a moment to locate Ben, curled up under his desk, his back turn to the world.

“What're you doing under there, buddy? Come on out. Mama's about to make dinner.” Han crossed the room, expecting Ben to easily be slid out from underneath the desk, into his father's arm, but he fought him. Ben twisted and wiggled and, when that didn't work, he started to hit the other, laying blows down on his arm. It didn't hurt, per say, but the action startled Han, who released the boy. Ben crawled back into his previous spot, all of Han's work to pull him out having come undone.

“Hey. What's the matter with you?” Han questioned, kneeling down in a more comfortable position so that he could talk to the kid. Ben sent a glare over his shoulder before fiercely turning his back to the former smuggler, once again.

“Ben Organa Solo, you look at me.” Han commanded, a little bit more sternly. Unless his boy calmed down, there would be no way to get him to talk.

“I hate you,” Ben hissed, still defying the man's wishes. The words hit him ten times harder than the punches the boy had laid upon his arm moments ago and Han had to move back a little. _Never_ , in all of Ben's life so far, had he said that to either one of his parents. Frankly, he rarely ever said hate at all, preferring to categorize his dislikes more specifically than to just blanket them under one term like that.

“Ben. Baby. Talk to Daddy.” Han said, more gently. Something was wrong, but Han couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what it was that was causing his son to act this way. A hand started to rub circles against Ben's back and he tensed up, but much to Han's relief, he didn't push the other away.

And then the sniffling started and Ben's composure broke. He slumped forward into himself and tears began to trail down his face. He looked pathetic and gross, and the sight tore at Han's heart. He reached for the boy, again, and this time Ben didn't put up a struggle against being pulled out and brought to Han chest, held tightly.

Ben's face was buried in Han's shirt, his tears making the fabric wet. One of the boy's arms was thrown around Han's neck and the other was curled up against his body, as if to protect himself. Through his blubbering, Han could barely make out his words. “Don'… Don' wanna…”

“Don't want to what, Baby? It's okay. Daddy's right here.”

“Nuh-uh!” Ben objected, the tone almost accusatory. “Gonna-! Gonna send m'way!” Saying it sent Ben into a whole new round of hysterics and he didn't talk for a while, just screeching into Han's chest. It took Han a moment to process what Ben was saying, but it was the memory of the x-wing that he'd stepped on that had finally made it click.

Ben had gone to bed with that toy and if it'd ended up in the hallway, that meant… “Ben. Shh. Sweetheart, did you overhear Mama and Uncle Luke talking?”

Ben nodded into Han's chest and he sighed in exasperation. No wonder he was flipping out. The poor kid must have thought that his parents didn't want him anymore. In Ben's position, Han probably would have reacted the very same way, particularly if said parent kept pressuring him to talk.

Maybe it was best if Han didn't try and reason with the boy for the time. Just let him get it all out of his system. Instead of explaining the situation, Han just held him, repeating over and over again that he was right there and that he loved him.

The persistent screaming had drawn Leia's attention and she poked her head into Ben's room, worry creasing her face. Han looked over at her, his eyes speaking of distress and his whole person wrapped protectively around their baby boy. His words were strained. “We can't send him away, Leia. Look at him. I've never seen him act like this over anything before.”

Leia must have understood what had happened faster than Han did, because her expression softened to one of melancholy. She crossed the room and knelt beside the two, one hand on Han's arm and a second petting Ben's hair. None of them spoke for a time, the sounds of Ben's cries the only thing cutting into the air and the occasional shushing from one of his parents. Finally, Ben's crying seemed to give way until they were sitting in silence and the boy was only sniffling to himself, now.

Leia was the first to speak, her petting of his hair continuing to sooth him. “Do you feel better now, baby?” Ben only nodded, not bringing is head up to look at her.

“Yeah, well I don't.” Han grumbled, earning himself an amused, but disapproving look from his wife. She returned her attention to Ben, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“Mama and Daddy aren't sending you away because we don't love you, Ben.” she said, careful to go slow so he could process everything. “Your Uncle Luke is a very smart man and he owns a school where you can go and learn.”

“Don' wanna learn,” Ben objected, wiping his face off on his sleeve. Han made a face in disgust at the snot getting all over the both of them. “Don' wanna go to 'chool.”

“Everyone has to go to school eventually, Ben,” Leia said. She must have noticed Han's look and produced a handkerchief from digging around in his pocket, which he accepted and started to clean himself and Ben up with. “It's part of growing up. That doesn't mean you can't still come home, though. Mama and Daddy will always be here for you to come back to, whenever you want.”

Ben fussed a little as Han wiped off his face. He looked cleaner, but his eyes were still red and puffy from crying so hard. “Really?”

Leia gave him a soft smile. “Really, Baby.”

“Don' wanna go to 'chool.” Ben repeated, though quieter and more calmly. His eyelids drooped a little and he leaned against Han's chest, as if he was about to go back to sleep.

“I know.” Leia moved from her position, starting to stand up. “Come on. Let's go get you both something to eat. My boys must be very hungry after all that.”

Han followed suit, lifting Ben up with him when he made no movement to do so, himself. When Ben fussed at being put in his own seat, Han relented and let the boy sit in his lap, eating of Han's plate more than his own. The boy's parents exchanged a look overtop of Ben's head. Han's eyes spoke of unsureness, as if he was second guessing everything they'd discussed regarding their son. Leia's eyes were firm, reassuring, telling him that she knew this was the best for all of them.

Ben fell asleep with a forkful of food halfway to his mouth, leading it to spill all over Han. The man grumbled, saying he was going to go put the kid to bed and then was going to take a shower. Leia just gave him a sad smile and a nod before she was alone, three mostly untouched plates sitting on the table before her.

_The End._

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus points if you can pick out the symbolism and foreshadowing and all that junk. I put tons of that junk in here and my English teacher better appreciate it.


End file.
